The embodiments described herein relate generally to a detection technique for chemical substances, and, more particularly, to using reagents to detect contraband substances such as explosives, narcotics, pesticides, and chemical warfare agents by means of spectrometry. More specifically, the methods and systems include chemically modifying a sample of a substance of interest through combination with a reagent to increase the volatility of the substance of interest. The systems and methods further include performing an analysis of the substance of interest.
Certain contraband substances—such as inorganic oxidizer salts—are used in formulations for homemade explosives (HMEs). Examples of classes of these explosives include compounds of nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates and permanganate. These compounds have very low volatility, which makes them difficult to detect by detection systems that rely on vaporization of the sample for detection. Examples of these types of detection systems include mass spectrometry (MS) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS).
As such, in some instances, detection systems are unable to identify potentially dangerous substances because the substance is not able to be vaporized within the detection system. There remains a need, therefore, for detection systems and methods that use an effective chemical vaporization reagent for use with detection systems that rely on vaporization of the sample that include: (i) effective chemical conversion to a more volatile state of the substance of interest; (ii) low chemical noise to the detector by minimizing the amount of other compounds that may vaporize and interfere or suppress the detector signal; and, (iii) properties that do not adversely affect the detectability of other compounds that need to be detected.